On July 22nd, 1944, Obersturmbanfuhrer Otto Carius, along with his company of eight Tiger tanks, advanced towards the Russian village of Malinava to stymie a Soviet advance. After ordering his column to halt on the outskirts of town, Carius, together with Obersturmbanfuhrer Kerscher, decided to reconnoiter the small hamlet with the help of a commandeered Kubelwagen. They quickly discovered that the village was already in Russian hands so they turned tail before they were spotted by the enemy.
Upon returning to his company, Carius explained the situation to his men. Realizing he had little time to lose, Carius decided to attack the village before additional Russian armor could link up with the occupying force. He elected to storm the village with only two Tigers instead of the entire company since only one unimproved road led into town and he felt that the column could be exposed to enemy fire if the entire company advanced. While the rest of his company was held in reserve, Carius and Kerscher’s Tigers sped towards the village of Malinava, itching for a fight.
Two T-34/85 tanks occupying Malinava saw the Tigers and immediately took aim against Carius’ Tiger (No. 217). Fortunately for Carius, Kerscher’s Tiger (No. 213), which trailed Carius by some 150-meters, fired quickly, knocking out both Russian targets before they had a chance to shoot.
As he entered the village, Carius soon came face-to-face with the latest Russian behemoth to enter the fray: the huge JS-I heavy tank, which was armed with the long-barreled 122mm gun. Confused at first, because the tank’s silhouette resembled a King Tiger tank, Carius eventually ordered his gunner to fire, claiming yet another victim in the cauldron of battle.
Together with Kerscher’s tank, the two Tigers would eventually knock out a further 14 Russian tanks before calling it a day, breaking the back of the Russian onslaught without loss to his own troop.
Look for PMA’s 1:72 scale rendition of Otto Carius’ war horse sometime during the fourth quarter of 2019.